Bar Soaps – the Basics
Bar Soap
To be fully transparent we make and sell both bar soaps and liquid soap. But my first love is bar soaps. I enjoy making them more and bathing with them more.
Pictured here is Oatmeal & Honey which is one of the two fragrance-free bars that we make.
It is a very gentle bar soap with the addition of oatmeal as a natural exfoliant. Both the oatmeal and the honey are great for dry skin as well.
Another reason I like bar soap over liquid is that there is no plastic bottle. They are a more environmentally sustainable product.
How to use a Bar of Soap
Or more importantly how to make that $14 or more bar of handmade, artisan soap that you purchased last as long as possible!
- Keep it on a raised soap dish that will let the water drain out. The MOST important thing you can do to prolong the life of your soap is to let it dry out between uses. The way to do that is not to let it sit on a flat surface where a layer of water can accumulate under it.
- If you really want to extend the life of your bar, then cut it in half before using it. Store the 1/2 you are not using ideally someplace dry, dark, and not too hot.
- To get the most lather from your bar, rub it against your arm instead of in your palm. Rubbing it against hair that is slightly rough instead of your palm which is smooth will produce more lather. That is why we recommend rubbing our shampoo bars directly against your wet hair. You get more lather by not rubbing against a smooth surface.
- If you get down to just pieces of soap that are too small to use by themselves, try putting them into a little soap bag and then washing with that.
Soap for Bathing
Bathing Bar
I said earlier that I like bar soap better than body wash. Of course, I use a bar when washing my hands but I really like using bar soaps or body bars when bathing. I usually take showers instead of baths and I just really enjoy holding and lathering up with a bar of soap.
I also really enjoy our shampoo bars that I can use as both a cleansing bar and a solid shampoo. Just grabbing one bar for head-to-toe bathing keeps things really simple.
Another plus about bars over liquid soaps is that they work great for travel. You never have to worry about them leaking. You also don’t have to worry about recycling that plastic bottle.
Exfoliating bar soap
Exfoliating soaps are soaps that have some type of texture added to them so that they help to slough off those dead skin cells while you are bathing.
Some natural exfoliants that can be added to soaps include oatmeal, poppy seeds, cornmeal, and other seeds, leaves, and even ground nuts. Pumice is another exfoliant that you are probably familiar with.
Exfoliating your skin is something you should be doing on a regular basis so having a bar that does it while bathing is great.
Eucalyptus & Tea Tree bar soap is one of our best exfoliating soaps. An exfoliating soap is not stripping skin of any natural oils. It is actually revitalizing your skin by helping to improve blood circulation.
For Sensitive Skin Types
Handmade soaps are usually best for sensitive skin because they naturally contain hydrating glycerin as a result of being handmade.
Some people may ask, “Does bar soap dry out your skin?” The opposite is true for handmade soap.
During the process of making soap, glycerin is naturally produced. Glycerin attracts moisture to the skin.
When the soap is handmade, the glycerin is not extracted as it is in commercially produced soap.
Our Lavender Chamomile bar shown here is our recommendation for a soap with scent if you have sensitive skin.
Here are some other things to consider if you have sensitive skin.
- Natural ingredients with no harsh chemicals
- Moisturizing ingredients like cocoa butter, honey, or shea butter
- Essential oils or fragrance-free like our Milk & Honey soap.
- No sodium lauryl sulfate
- Read the ingredients
Body Bar Breakdown
Which body soap is the best?
This is probably a trick question because so much is simply personal preference. There are soaps for all skin types. Dry skin and oily skin. Normal skin as well as facial cleansing bars. Are you looking for a beauty bar or simply a body bar to get you clean in the shower?
I have listed below a few of our soaps divided between the best bar soaps for women and for men. I have chosen them primarily based on scent, but I certainly know men who use our Carrot Seed Complexion Bar and women who love the scent of Patchouli. Myself included.
Best Soaps for Women
- Egyptian Rose & Sweet Orange (shown here) – a floral/citrus blend that gently exfoliates due to the oatmeal in it.
- Carrot Seed Complexion Bar – A moisturizing bar soap for your face that many have said helps with acne blemishes.
- Lavender Oatmeal – Good for itchy skin with a creamy lather.
Best Men’s Soaps
- Walk in the Woods – a smooth, moisturizing soap with cocoa butter. Our most popular men’s soap scent by far!
- Patchouli Soap – is one of our best moisturizing soaps due to both a large amount of cocoa butter and the patchouli essential oil.
- Shampoo Bars – Our shampoo bars are One & Done head-to-toe bathing. We have 3 scents and all of them are great for guys. Bay Rum, Rosemary Mint, and Hill Country.
In Summary
Pick a soap that you like the scent of and that works for your skin. We recommend handmade and all-natural as both of those qualities tend to be more moisturizing and less likely to irritate. Your skin is your body’s largest organ as well as its most visible.
Spending a few extra $ on products to take of it just makes sense. And remember to protect that extra investment keep your bars where they can dry out between uses!
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